SyFy’s futuristic cop show ‘Halcyon’ will have 5 VR episodes
In the year 2058, virtual reality is so commonplace that big-city police have established a Virtual Reality Crimes Unit. In this branch, detective Julie Dover ends up investigating an incident that shouldn’t even be possible — a real-life murder that went down within virtual reality. This is the premise of SyFy’s new scripted series, Halcyon, which consists of 10 episodes that will air on SyFy’s television and web channels, plus five VR-only episodes set to debut on Oculus Rift.
You won’t need an Oculus Rift to follow Halcyon on the linear channels: SyFy will offer recaps of the VR episodes for those watching on the web and TV. Halcyon comes from Emmy award-winning studio Secret Location, which also crafted the Sleepy Hollow Virtual Reality Experience. BAFTA nominee Benjamin Arfmann is directing the show and it started production in Toronto just this month. There’s no word yet on when Halcyon will premiere.
“VR is being exposed to more and more people and with projects like Halcyon, we intend to help this immersive form of entertainment grow,” Secret Location President James Milward says in a press release.
How Univision is beating the competition to 4K sports streaming
4K is everywhere. The technology is rapidly making its way into people’s homes, in the form of a wide assortment of 4K-ready devices that includes cameras, TVs and smartphones. Then there are the Netflix and Amazons of the world, which are on a mission to make Ultra HD the norm, starting with original shows such as House of Cards and Mozart in the Jungle. But for some reason, the same can’t be said about sports. Here’s where Univision Deportes and NeuLion, a company that provides broadcasting services to television networks, are ready to step in.
This week, during an exhibition football (soccer) match between Mexico and Senegal in Miami, Univision Deportes tested its first-ever live 4K stream. NeuLion, which was responsible for encoding the signal and pushing it to an Android TV app, claims that hadn’t been done for sports before in the US. The firm says it previously worked with BT Sport, a channel from the United Kingdom, on streaming a couple of 4K NBA Games in London, but those weren’t available for the public to watch. Although what Univision Deportes tried on Thursday was also done behind closed doors, I was allowed behind the scenes to watch it happen.
To be clear, it wasn’t a broadcast, but rather an internet stream, not unlike watching a 4K show on Netflix or Amazon Instant Video. The main difference is that the game was streamed in real time. To make that possible, Univision says it made a “significant” production investment, though the company declined to say how much money it spent.
What we do know is the Spanish network used six Sony HDC-4300 4K cameras and a new control room on-site at Marlins Park, with each piece of the setup designed to support 4K content. For example, the network needed to make higher-resolution lower third graphics (pictured below) for the live feed, as well as hire someone who could handle the 4K switcher. We were told there are only two people in the world capable of doing that, and one of them was in the Univision Deportes control room for the event. That’s how tough it is to put this kind of production together.
“For the last few years we have been incredible innovators in the world of soccer,” says Juan Carlos Rodriguez, president of Univision Deportes, about the network’s decision to produce a live 4K stream. “We strongly believe that by being the first ones, we let [others] know that there’s a serious testament and commitment from Univision into technology and the on-air experience.
Of course, he knows adopting the tech won’t be easy. There’s the need to have 4K equipment at every soccer stadium, for example, and that’s easier said than done. “Putting the whole thing together is complicated,” Rodriguez says. “There are not enough production trucks across the country ready for a full 4K production.”
For the last few years we have been incredible innovators in the world of soccer.
While the demo I experienced was focused solely on streaming, Univision Deportes’ bread and butter is still broadcast television. According to Univision, the pay-TV channel currently has 50 million subscribers in the US, taking into account viewers from Comcast, Dish, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and other cable/satellite providers.
And even though companies like Dish already have a 4K set-top box on the market (DirecTV will soon, too), Rodriguez says it could be a while before viewers can enjoy traditional sports broadcasts in 4K. “In our case, we need to do serious investments in technology,” he says. “Even from the graphics, we need to upgrade them from full HD to 4K, so there are challenges across the board.”
That’s one of the reasons Univision Deportes chose to test a 4K stream. With a Sony UHD TV and a smart TV app, developed by NeuLion, I was able to watch Mexico vs Senegal in 4K (3,840 x 2,160) at 60 frames per second. As you’d expect, the video quality was fantastic. You could see the smallest of details on a player’s face, including blemishes and individual facial hairs; or, when the camera zoomed into the ball, how every strip of grass had tiny water drops from the humidity of the field.
The stream went smoothly for most of the match (which Mexico ended up winning 2-0), with almost no dropped frames throughout. It wasn’t until shortly after the second goal that the image froze abruptly, but given that this was a trial, a technical difficulty was bound to take place. I also noticed an evident delay, magnified by the fact that I was inside the stadium and heard the roar as the crowd began to celebrate when Mexico scored. It took 45 seconds for the action from the pitch to show up on TV.
Still, there’s plenty of time to work these kinks out. According to NeuLion, the Univision Deportes 4K app won’t be on Android TV for a few months, and don’t worry, its streaming tech (efficient video compression) won’t be limited to Sony smart 4K TVs either. Chris Wagner, NeuLion’s executive vice president and cofounder, says the company is currently working on a solution for the latest UHD televisions from LG, as well as Samsung’s Tizen OS-powered models.
Right now, there’s not much (if anything) to which I can compare what I saw. The closest thing I can think of is Super Bowl 50 or March Madness 2015, two live events that didn’t go as smoothly as CBS Sports would have liked– and those streams weren’t close to being anywhere near Ultra HD quality. We reached out to the NFL and NBA to see if they had any plans for a live 4K stream of their own, but they did not share any information with us.
In the end, Univision Deportes won’t be the only network to offer live 4K soccer streaming — it just happens to be the doing it ahead of its English- and Spanish-speaking competitors. When asked if fans of the sport should expect live 4K games by the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Wagner said, “The tech is all there, the platform is ready to go.” So you better hope there’s a 4K TV in your living room by then. And don’t forget a speedy internet connection (at least 20Mbps) — you’re definitely going to need that.
Source: NeuLion/Univision Deportes
Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi Discuss Bloated Software Accusations, Upcoming iTunes Plans
Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi spoke with John Gruber in this week’s episode of “The Talk Show,” where they commented on recent opinions that Apple’s software isn’t up to snuff and offered some details on a new version of iTunes coming in OS X 10.11.4.
Last week, Re/code‘s Walt Mossberg wrote a piece entitled “Apple’s Apps Need Work,” pointing towards a “gradual degradation” in quality in several Apple apps and services like iCloud, Mail, and Photos. iTunes for the desktop was one of the most heavily criticized apps, with Mossberg saying he “dreads” opening it because it’s “bloated, complex, and sluggish.”
During the podcast, Gruber asked Eddy Cue about Mossberg’s opinion, prompting him to give some background on how Apple wanted the iTunes experience to work. iTunes, Cue said, was designed at a time when people synced their devices via cable, so offering a centralized place with all of a user’s content was key. With Apple Music, Apple decided on a design that would put music front and center while also integrating cloud music with hard copies purchased through iTunes.
“We decided in the short term that what we wanted to do is really make it when you’re in music and iTunes, all you see is music,” said Cue. He went on to explain that Apple is continually re-evaluating iTunes, and there are plans to release a refreshed version alongside OS X 10.11.4 next month.
“That’s not to say we are continuing… and will continue to think about what’s the best way to architect the app and whether it makes sense to do a separate app for some of the components that are in there or all of the components that are in there. But right now, we think we’ve designed iTunes and you’ll see we’ve got a new refresh with the new version of OS X that’s coming out next month that makes it even easier to use in the music space.”
Cue and Federighi went on to talk about the issues that arise whenever Apple makes major changes to software, as there are always people who prefer not to see significant changes. According to Federighi, there’s a “tricky balancing act” with software updates.
“People are serious about their music and their collection, and so I think we debate pretty heavily internally the right way to evolve these things. We tend to err on the side of being pretty bold, but there’s a lot of responsibility.
The two also highlighted the immense scale that Apple is working on, with more than 1 billion active devices and 782 million iCloud users. More than 200,000 iMessages per second are sent at peak times, and there are more than 750 million transactions per week in the iTunes Store and the App Store. Apple Music has grown to 11 million subscribers and more than 2.5 million errors in Maps have been fixed, a number presented as evidence that Apple is continually working on its software.
“I would say first there’s nothing we care about more,” said Federighi, speaking on Apple’s software and services. He believes Apple’s core software quality has improved significantly over the course of the last five years, but pointed towards an ever-raising bar that pushes Apple to keep evolving and implementing new features. “Every year we realize the things we were good at last year and the techniques we were using to build the best software we can are not adequate for the next year because the bar keeps going up,” he said.
Federighi and Cue’s full discussion with John Gruber about the state of software, the desktop version of iTunes, and Apple’s efforts to expand its public beta program, can be listed to over on the Daring Fireball website.
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Control Alexa and your entire smart home from your car with HeadsUp
HeadsUp is a San Francisco startup that is aiming to be the end-all, beat-all when it comes to in-transit control. Founder Arnab Raychaudhuri, formerly an employee at the Pentagon, is the mastermind behind this in-vehicle heads up display. After building and rejecting over twenty prototypes across two years of brainstorming, the company eventually arrived at the final iteration of their product: a seamless and safe voice-controlled hub that keeps you in constant contact with your technological ecosystem.
HeadsUp was developed with Amazon’s Echo-housed digital assistant Alexa. The idea was to create a way to control things like your smartphone or smarthome in the safest possible way without distracting from the road. Alexa offers natural speech technology that does away with the user having to remember specific commands. With HeadsUp installed, you can be driving home from work and, with just a few vocalized sentences, have your house set to Party Mode just in time for your arrival. Control Sonos to start your favorite playlist, have Nest turn up the heat and adjust the lighting, and get ready to walk into exactly the right environment to relax.
See also: Amazon working on a smaller, cheaper, portable Echo
HeadsUp also functions as a kind of stand-in for services like Siri or OK Google, allowing users to more fluidly control their smartphone while driving. The service is optimized for road noise, which conventional voice-controlled features tend to struggle with. Sending message, getting directions, or getting business hours for that restaurant you’re thinking about hitting up can all be done without ever touching your smartphone.
The pre-order campaign for HeadsUp has gone live, and those interested can grab one at the reduced price of $299.99 while the pre-order campaign lasts. If you’re interested, head on order to the campaign’s landing page for more information. In the meantime, what are your thoughts regarding HeadsUp? Worth the cash, or not an extreme enough advancement over conventional voice control apps to justify the price? Let us know your take in the comments below.
Google waves goodbye to Picasa to focus on Google Photos
Photo-sharing service Picasa will soon cease to exist, after a statement from Google explained that it’ll be retired to allow Google Photos to grow further.
The move, announced today, means that folk with existing Picasa Web Albums will be able to access their snaps through Google Photos. All the pictures and videos from the old Picasa account will be carried over, and the changes take effect on the 1st May.
Picasa’s makers note that for those not willing to switch over to Google Photos, they’ll be creating ‘a new place to access Picasa Web Albums’.
Speaking via a Google Picasa Blog post, Anil Sabharwal, Head of Google Photos, said:
“After much thought and consideration, we’ve decided to retire Picasa over the coming months in order to focus entirely on a single photo service in Google Photos.”
“We believe we can create a much better experience by focusing on one service that provides more functionality and works across mobile and desktop, rather than divide our efforts across two different products.”
As for Picasa’s desktop application, that’s being shown the door too. From March 15th, the software will no longer be officially supported.
Sabharwal signs off by apologizing for the inconvenience to regular Picasa users, keen to assure account owners that the transition to Google Photos will treat them to a ‘new and smarter product’.
Farewell, Picasa.
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Visa’s Square disclosure raises questions
The disclosure of Visa’s share in mobile payment startup Square sent the startup’s stock price climbing. But the disclosure raises questions about Visa’s plans for Square.
Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, which founded and runs Square, announced that Visa purchased a stake in Square in 2011. But the size of the purchase was not revealed at the time. In a regulatory filing earlier this week, Visa revealed it owns about 4.19 million of Square’s Class B shares, which don’t trade publicly. However, Visa has the option to convert Class B shares into about 3.52 million Class A shares, which would give it a 9.99 percent stake in Square’s publicly-traded shares.
Visa’s stake, however, only represents about 1 percent of Square’s share base. Visa also recently launched Visa Developer, which is software that helps merchants accept Visa payments more easily.
The revelation of the size of Visa’s stake in Square is a curious one, as Visa hasn’t historically acquired such companies. But stock analysts called the revelation a vote of confidence in Square’s business model.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Via: Engadget
Come comment on this article: Visa’s Square disclosure raises questions
Alcatel OneTouch Ride-Fi hotspot available through Sprint
The Ride-Fi portable LTE hotspot can now be picked up via the Sprint website, with the gadget serving as a top travel companion for those longer journeys.
The 4G LTE hotspot works via a connection to a DC power connector and from there users can expect support for up to eight wireless devices simultaneously.
Those interested in grabbing the Ride-Fi portable LTE hotspot can pick up the stick for 24 monthly installments of $7, taking the total spend to $168.
Sprint’s gadget supports tech devices of all shapes and sizes and means passengers can kick back, relax and browse the web, check email, watch videos and more.
Ride-Fi also arrives with built-in Wi-Fi and network signal strength indicators, meaning it’s easy to tell when the LTE accessory is running at full speed. When it comes to charging, plugging in a USB 2.0 cable will juice it up.
We’d say the key feature here setting apart the Ride-Fi portable LTE hotspot from other similar products is DC power support.
The fact that you can simply slot the gadget into a cigarette charger and go from there is a god-send for folk that don’t like carrying around cables all the time.
If you’re looking to stay connected in the car, the Alcatel OneTouch Ride-Fi hotspot is worth considering.
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Apple’s new 4-inch iPhone and iPad Air 3 are rumored to arrive on March 18th
The Apple rumor mill has been in full swing over the last month or so, with as-yet-unconfirmed March 15th event that’s said to introduce a new 4-inch iPhone and the iPad Air 3. Those rumors are getting a little more concrete today, as 9to5Mac’s Marc Gurman is saying that both of those products will go on sale on March 18th — the Friday after the rumored event. Gurman’s been posting reports about this event and what we might see for weeks now, and this just appears to be further evidence that the company’s March plans are solidified. Of course, nothing’s official yet, but Gurman’s track record suggests these will be the big product introductions Apple has on tap.
The 4-inch iPhone is supposedly dubbed the iPhone 5se (special edition) and will combine the hardware guts of the iPhone 6 (including Apple Pay) with a modified body that is still more reminiscent of the iPhone 5s than the iPhone 6 and 6s. As for the iPad Air 3, it’ll keep the 9.7-inch screen the line is known for but may borrow some tricks from the iPad Pro, including its speaker arrangement and Apple Pencil support.
It sounds like these products will launch without the typical pre-order period that Apple typically offers, which is a little bit unusual for the company. But these products will certainly launch with less hype and fanfare than the flagship iPhones typically do, so perhaps the company doesn’t expect sales to be so overwhelming as to warrant a preorder period. Regardless of those plans, mid-March is coming up fast — Apple should be sending out invites for this event very soon if it’s going to happen.
Source: 9to5Mac
YouTube acquires BandPage to help drive Red subscriptions
YouTube announced on Friday that it is acquiring BandPage, a platform that acts as a homepage of sorts for musicians. BandPage originally designed landing tabs on Facebook for musicians but lost most of its traffic after the social site redesigned its timelines in 2012. It’s since become an independent platform that bands use to showcase themselves as well as sell concert tickets and merchandise. It’s free to use though the company does take a 15 percent cut of all transactions.
YouTube is likely acquiring the smaller company as a means of attracting both bands and new viewers to its newly-launched Red subscription service. Bands would get a larger stage to showcase their talents, thereby increasing their ticket and merchandise sales; Red subscribers will get access to more bands and YouTube gets more people to pay $10 a month for the ad-free subscription as well as potentially early or exclusive access to content. It’s a win-win-win.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: BandPage
Study links North Korea to Sony hack and malware campaign
Cyber-security firms Kaspersky and Alienvault Labs announced at the Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit that they had uncovered new evidence linking the massive Sony Pictures hack of 2014 with an ongoing malware attack directed at South Korea. The security firms believe that the same group has perpetrated both attacks and, though they did not specify where the attacks were coming from, their evidence does point to the group most likely operating out of North Korea.
Kaspersky and Alienvault collected nearly 500 malware samples over the course of a year that they believed to be related and after analyzing them discovered a number of striking similarities. Beyond sharing common user agent lists and attack structures, the two campaigns used the same password for their respective “dropper” programs and the chances of that happening coincidentally are miniscule. What’s more, programs for both attacks were written in the Korean Hangul alphabet. There’s no word on what, if any, recourse either Sony or the South Koreans have at this point.
Via: Verge
Source: Wired
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